In the Garden
by YetAnotherAnimeFreak
Summary: Spain needs to harvest his tomatoes and talks Romano into helping him. Human names used. This is pure fluff, and has no point to it, but I wanted to write it so enjoy!


Work Text:

Lovino groaned, dragging the shovel behind him in the soil. "Bastard, how did you talk me into this?"

Antonio, walking a few steps ahead of him with a full armful of gardening supplies, smiled cheerily back at his Italian companion. "Because I promised you tomatoes~ I know you can't refuse that."

Lovino groaned again, knowing that that was true. He would do anything for the tomatoes Antonio grew.

Today was a deliciously sunny day, and was the perfect time for working in Antonio's garden. Usually, Lovino would be happy to help the Spaniard weed and bring in the vegetables, but today that wasn't the case. He had finally gotten a day away from his brother and that damn potato bastard, and had intended to spend it relaxing until Antonio came to him about gardening. The Italian had refused, but then Antonio made his tomato deal. So here he was, dragging along the only tool the Spaniard had managed to get him to carry, complaining almost nonstop about working on his day off. True be told, Lovino was actually looking forward to digging in the dirt, but he would never give Antonio the satisfaction of knowing that. The damn bastard was already too cheery all the time, and the knowledge that Lovino liked this would make him unbearable.

They arrived at the first bed of the Spaniard's extensive garden and neatly placed all the tools beside it. Well, Antonio gently laid the tools down while Lovino sort of just threw his shovel haphazardly into the pile. Then they started working, Lovino scowling at the dirt and Antonio bubbly, telling some story about what had happened while the other was away. Steadily, the pile of weeds they pulled grew, as did the pile of ripened food they picked. The duo worked for hours, rhythmically moving from one bed to the next in a sort of familiar dance. As time passed, there seemed to be a change in Lovino's demeanor. He seemed to slowly relax, letting the sound of Antonio's laughter and the feel of the earth on his hands take away the negative behavior he had when they started. The Italian almost went as far as to laugh along with his companion at one of his jokes.

Almost.

As the sun moved steadily across the sky, Lovino and Antonio worked on every bed in the huge garden, basically just having a good time. Antonio laughed and grinned at the Italian, and Lovino smiled softly to himself and listened calmly to everything the other was saying. Every once in a while, he would put in a story of his own, but his voice didn't hold the same hostile tone it had had earlier. He almost looked… happy. The sun was setting behind the rows of fruit trees when the two finally finished. Antonio threw away the pile of weeds they had collected while Lovino picked up the various vegetables that were ripe. They both smiled to themselves as they silently worked, lost in their own respective thoughts. The sky was bright with splashes of color when they headed back into the house, tired and dirty and slightly sunburned.

"This was a lot of fun, Lovi. Thank you for spending the day with me."

"Whatever… It's not like I had a choice." Although his words were harsh, they held no deeper meaning. Antonio knew this, and he also knew what they really meant. Lovino had had a good time too, whether he admitted it or not. This made Antonio's heart flutter in happiness.

"Well, harvest is coming up in a few weeks. Maybe you can come over again to help." The smallest of smiles lit Lovino's face at the Spaniard's words, making Antonio's heart skip a beat. It wasn't every day that he smiled, and the Spaniard had learned to treasure the moments when he did.

"I think I might…" Lovino didn't look over at the other, but it didn't matter. Antonio nodded happily, slipping his hand into his partner's. For once, Lovino didn't make any move to push him away. They walked home like that, happily thinking their own thoughts as the sun sent candy-colored bursts of light down upon their heads.


End file.
